Better luck next year: Regression hit the Seattle Kraken in a big way

It also probably should have been an obvious way.

Welcome back to Better Luck Next Year, a series that will focus on each team as they get eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What went wrong, why it went wrong, what (if anything) went right, and what is next. We continue today with the next team to be officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention: The Seattle Kraken.

The Vegas Golden Knights forever ruined the expectations for every expansion team that will ever enter the NHL. By year three they had made three playoff appearances, two trips to the Western Conference Final and a Stanley Cup Final experience (in their first year no less). It was a perfect storm of more favorable expansion draft rules than previous new franchises had, and 30 other general managers having no idea how to navigate it.

It was a collective group effort to build an immediate powerhouse that has never stopped contending and has already won a championship just six years into its existence.

It set an unreachable bar for the Seattle Kraken when they entered the league prior to the 2021-22 season, especially when the league’s general managers (well … most of them … looking at you Ron Hextall) learned their lesson from the Vegas experience.

The Kraken are experiencing a more normal expansion process and still trying to go through some early franchise growing pains.

On Wednesday night they were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the second time in their first three seasons.

The Kraken were always a fascinating team entering this season because there were some real expectations for them, and maybe even big expectations. Perhaps too big. They made the playoffs in year two and actually won a playoff series by beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and were a Game 7 defeat away from reaching the Western Conference Final.

They had the league’s rookie of the year in Matthew Beniers, were one of the highest scoring teams in the league and collected 100 points despite having only average — at best — goaltending for most of the season.

They seemed to be on track to be the newest expansion team to step into the league and become an immediate Stanley Cup contender.

Even with all of that success there were still some pretty big concerns lurking below the surface that had the potential to dramatically change their outlook this season. They did change their outlook.

Let’s talk about them.

Everything that went wrong